Editorial: We have to be wary of fire danger

We need to be wary now the fire season has started.

The dreaded fire season appears to be well and truly under way.

Yesterday a chemical fire triggered the evacuation of neighbouring properties in Hastings, while there was a large scrub fire on Friday last week which kept fire services busy for much of the afternoon.

Summer certainly has its positives and its negatives.

While many would think of the cricket, the barbecues and the swimming season, it's likely these affections are not shared by all.

Last summer's drought, for instance, was devastating for farmers.

The reappearance of fires across the Bay is one of those negatives, one of those summertime occurrences which we all must bear some responsibility to help prevent.

A fire is terrifying at so many levels - whether it destroys personal possessions or even kills - and now is the time of year we must act to keep them to a minimum.

A Central Hawke's Bay family's home was used as a public display by the Fire Service recently as an opportunity to raise people's awareness about what to do in the moments it can take for fire to destroy everything they've got.

"People often don't realise just how quickly a fire spreads and the need to prepare their families for what to do in the event of a fire," Fire Service area manager Chris Nicoll warns.

Credit must go to the firefighters willing to spend their time keeping our homes and the members of this community safe.

This credit is perhaps best expressed by a personal awareness of the summer's very real fire dangers.